Friday, May 21, 2010

Thanks to everyone for entering the Children of the 90s CSN Stores $60 Gift Card Giveaway! I had a lot of fun with it and I hope you all enjoyed your fleeting hope to win. The fun is in the possibility, after all. That's what we say to satiate sore losers, actually, but don't take it too personally. There's always next time.

That said, this will not be the last fun giveaway we do here at Children of the 90s. Remember to check back for exciting opportunities. And to read some high quality 90s nostalgia posts. That's always good, too.

Without further ado, I'm pleased to announce the winner of the CSN $60 Gift Card:

In case you've never had the honor of visiting Nikki's blog, I highly recommend you do so. She was one of the first nostalgia bloggers I connected with, and her posts are always thorough and hilarious. If you were a big reader growing up, you will absolutely love her young adult book reviews. That's my totally unsolicited plug for my randomly selected winner, so you know it must be true. Pure unpaid endorsement. Check her out. Congrats, Nikki! You deserve it. I will email you later today with the information for redeeming your gift certificate!

If anyone is interested in advertising or promotions with Children of the 90s, feel free to shoot me an email at childrenofthe90s@gmail.com. I implore you to please withhold judgment on my shameless plea for sponsorship, I'm not a sellout; I promise to keep bringing you high quality posts about your favorite 90s topics. A girl's got to eat, though, so, you know: sponsorships welcome. If you have any post topic suggestions or just want to say hi, that's totally cool, too. Let's chat.

Thank you all again for entering, following, facebooking, tweeting, and all of the other novelty internet verbage buzzwords applicable to your entries. You guys are the best. See you Monday for a return to your regularly scheduled 90s reminiscing. Until then, have a great weekend!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

CSN Stores recently approached me about giving away a $60 gift certificate to one of my loyal readers (that's you! Or, alternatively--that could be you! Start reading! Loyally!) Anyway, I jumped at the opportunity to offer you some great free stuff. With all the hard work you do reading about the 90s day after day, week after week, you deserve a little something something special. CSN has a great selection of housewares, kitchen accessories, and furniture, so you've got loads of fun stuff to pick from. My favorites are the sectional sofas--this $60 gift certificate might not cover a whole sofa (no upholstery pun intended), but it's a pretty good start.

The 90s Game! With this generous gift and CSN's reasonable prices, you could afford a couple, so feel free to buy one for yourself and send your favorite nostalgia blogger one, too. You know, whoever she is. I'm sure she's pretty cool.

Lucky for all of you, it's incredibly easy to enter this fabulous giveaway. Here are the entry rules:Entry 1: Be a Facebook fan. Actually, a Facebook "liker." They keep changing that stuff around. Just click that little thumbs up on the top(ish) right.Entry 2: Be a Blogger Follower. Scroll up, to your right. There you go.Entry 3: Be a Twitter Follower. Link's also on the sidebar. In case you can't find it, it's a bird. Holding a Twitter sign. You know what, it's pretty obvious, I think you can find it without my help. If not, you don't deserve Entry #3.Entry 4: Blog or Tweet about the giveaway with a link back to this post. It wouldn't hurt to mention how much you love Children of the 90s. You know, just for some good karma to inspire that random number generator to choose you as the winner. I hear that helps.

Let me know in the comments section how many and which entries you qualify for. I can't go chasing down all of your internet affiliations, so you've just got to let me know. Even better, feel free to check out the CSN Stores' sites and let us all know what you would buy. That way we can all be jealous when you get it. If you don't have Facebook, Blogger, Twitter, or a blog of your own, don't worry, you can still enter--just let me know in the comments and you'll qualify for an entry. If I find out you are harboring a secret Facebook account or blog, though, you're totally busted. We investigate that stuff. Don't mess with us.

Okay, fine print: Winner will be chosen next Friday using a random number generator. If you're our lucky winner, I will send you your very own CSN gift certificate code good for $60 on their sites. It doesn't include shipping costs, but many items include free shipping. It's a one-time use gift certificate, so don't get all greedy trying to parcel it out over several weeks with a bunch of tiny hand-towel and barbecue tong purchases. In the ever-wise words of Blanche from the Golden Girls, "This is found money. This is fun money." I'm going to leave off the rest of the quote because it gets a little PG-13 after that, but suffice it to say, this $60 is yours for the free, fun spending. Go nuts.

Oh, and the giveaway is only open to US and Canadian readers--sorry, international readers! We love you, but CSN just can't ship to you. I knew you'd understand. I'd send my condolences, but unfortunately we can't mail them that far.

A winner will be announced right here on Children of the 90s next Friday (May 21) so be sure to come back and take a look. If your comment is not linked to a Blogger profile or any other account, let me know here or on Facebook or Twitter how I can get in touch with you if you win. Good luck!

*Winner was selected using a randomized shuffled spreadsheet and an online random number generator*

Congratulations, Lauren Kelly!! I will contact you later today for your mailing information (or you can shoot me an email at childrenofthe90s@gmail.com when you see this), and your 90s care package should be on the way sometime next week!

To everyone else, thank you all so much for entering, and don't worry--this isn't the end of giveaways at Children of the 90s. I heard a rumor someone (okay, me) has a blogaversary coming up, so keep checking back for more fun giveaway opportunities. I can't tell you how fun it was assembling these items, and I can't wait to do it again soon!

Please excuse the interruption. Now, for today's post:

Childhood Cereal Commercial Characters

Forget what anyone says. Cereal mascots are the hardest working guys in show biz. They're arguably among the most dedicated, single-minded characters in modern media. They never can just pick up a box of their favorite sugar cereal at the local supermarket like the rest of us. These guys are constantly battling the forces of cereal-related tyranny and oppression in an eternal struggle to get their hands on the much-coveted cereal. For those of us whose parents refused to buy us sugary breakfast cereal, we could relate to their plight.

The aim of these characters was to convince a demographic of hungry, sugar-crazed children that these cereals were so desirable that fictional characters would go to extreme lengths to get their hands on them. At the time, it seemed like a fairly viable quandary; what's one expected to do if denied their sugary fuel? Looking at them now, though, I wouldn't be surprised if one of these cartoons showed up on A&E's Intervention. They're not only incredibly desperate for their fix but also seem to be going through some sort of physical withdrawal symptoms. You'd almost expect for them to airlift Honeycomb Crazy Craving to the nearest treatment facility and run a glucose IV through his furry little arm. I'm not a professional, but even I can see that guy needs some seriuos help.

These cartoon characters were by no means the only cereal advertising stars. There were plenty of live-action commercials directed at older children, but few of them managed to equal the intensity and desperation encapsulated by these sugar-starved animated critters. Many of these characters have been around since before our time, though they often been through more reinventions than Cher. You'd better hurry up and get your reminiscing in before the remaining mascots go the way of Cookie Crook and Officer Crumb. Blink and they'll be replaced by cooler, hipper characters.

Fruity/Cocoa/Dino Pebbles: Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble

When the Flinstones debuted as Post Cereal's Pebbles-brand spokescartoons in the 70s, no one could have known they'd still be out hawking cereal decades later. Throughout the years, the story lines have been fairly one-dimensional: Fred Flintstone eats Fruity or cocoa Pebbles. Barney sees said Pebbles. Barney attempts elaborate and ill-thought-out scheme to obtain Pebbles. Fred screams, "BAAAAARNEEEY!" End scene. The only thing I'm not so clear on is what Dino Pebbles are made of. That name still sounds pretty suspicious.

Cocoa Puffs: Sonny the Cuckoo Bird

Sometimes time really does bring progress. In the original 50s and 60s ads, Sonny was chilling with his grandpa. He still went cuckoo, sure, but with his grandpa. Not exactly the stuff cool kids are made of.

Ad writers wised up in the 80s and 90s, making Sonny go cuckoo with kids and eventually pressure other kids into going cuckoo themselves. Yes, you heard right. Sonny worked his way up from user to dealer. At least he wasn't trying to pull his Gramps into it anymore. He did, however, get Joseph Gordon Levitt on the cuckoo train. See evidence above.

Frosted Flakes: Tony the Tiger

Tony the Tiger may have been born decades earlier, but he probably started his amateur frisbee career in the above 90s ad. The "They're Grrrreat!" slogan has been around for ages, but in the 80s and 90s they tried incorporating some hipper phrases. They promised to bring out the tiger in us or to put the tiger on our team, but perhaps none were as resigned and half-hearted as "The Taste Adults Have Grown to Love." You know, you used to hate it, but over the years the virulence of your hatred has lessened. Buy Frosted Flakes!

Trix: Trix Rabbit

Talk about prolonged disappointment. The Trix rabbit has been up to his, well, tricks for over 50 years. It's always the same old schtick: he'd try to trick the kids into sharing their cereal, but they'd continually admonish him with the ultimate brush-off: "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!" Jokes on the Trix rabbit, though. In elementary school, a friend and I fed some Trix to her pet rabbit, Munchers. He totally went for it. He had no idea they were just for kids. Not a clue.

HoneyComb: Crazy Craving

This is probably one of the more frightening 90s cereal characters, if for nothing other than the sheer voracity of his need. The weird hopped-up rodent thing's name was Crazy Craving, and I believe he has since been retired. He premiered as Honeycomb's official mascot in the mid-90s, preceded by the HoneyComb Hideout gang. According to these 90s ads, you could actually become Crazy Craving if you went long enough without your fix. Scary indeed.

Cookie Crisp: Cookie Crook and Officer Crumb

This commercial lied to me. I wanted so badly to enjoy what was promised to me as the sweet taste of cookies for breakfast but when my parents finally caved and threw it in the grocery cart to quell my tantrum, it just wasn't what I'd expected. Cookie Crook and Officer Crumb had hyped it to a level they just couldn't achieve. It turns out the most inspired thing about the cereal was Chip the Dog's howling of "Cooooookie Crisp!"

Lucky Charms: Lucky Leprochaun

Children first met Lucky in the 60s, but he's steadily tempted our sugar impulses with his endless pushing of marshmallow-laden cereals. He promised them to be magically delicious, and for the most part they were. If only they could have made them magically nutritious, too.

Froot Loops: Toucan Sam

Toucan Sam was born in the 60s, though he did undergo some beak work a decade or so later. I think I saw it on E!'s Celebrity Plastic Surgery Nightmares but I can't be sure. Whatever the situation surrounding his nose, he followed it to some delicious fruity sugar cereal. How 90s is that Rapping Rhino ad, too?

Cinnamon Toast Cruch: Wendell, Bob, and Quello

Who exactly were Wendell, Bob, and Quello, you ask? According to General Mills, Bob and Quello don't technically exist. They name main baker Wendell, but it sounds like the other two were using the role to pad out their resumes with bit parts like "Baker #2: illustrates taste he can see." They make fun of adults in a Bubble Tape/Apple Jacks sort of way, mocking their inability to see what makes the cereal so compelling. For the record, it's the swirls of cinnamon sugar in every bite.

Honey Smacks: Dig 'Em

Sugar Smacks have been through a lot over the years. Well, a lot of names at least. In our day, they were Honey Smacks, but now they're just Smacks. That sounds pretty suspiciously close to Smack, even when you take into consideration the child-friendly Dig-Em frog mascot.. I guess as long as no kids are injecting the cereal intravenously, we're alright.

Rice Krispies: Snap, Crackle, and Pop

These guys have been around since the 1940s, but they underwent a serious 90s makeover for the Razzle Dazzle edition of the cereal. In case you're unfamiliar with cereal speak, "Razzle Dazzle" is code for "heaps of additional sugar". I couldn't find any video of those ads, though, so you'll just have to settle for watching a kid in a safari outfit get really pissed off at a dinosaur for kidnapping Snap, Crackle, and Pop.

I don't know about the rest of you, but this post has left me with a serious hankering from some good old-fashioned nutrition void sugar cereal. It may not have been substantive, it may not have been nutritious, heck, it may not even have been totally honest when it claimed to be part of a balanced breakfast. But it was endorsed by our animated spokescartoons, and darn it that was more than enough to convince us. So excuse me as I go cuckoo following my nose as I make a serious effort to elude the sanctimonious Officer Crumb: I'm off to get my fix.

Friday, February 5, 2010

So, I have a confession to make. Since we've all been being honest and doing lots of sharing here at Children of the 90s this week, I guess I'll just lay it out straight for you. I had every intention of putting up a full post for today, but you ever-patient readers are going to have to wait till Monday. I just can't contain my excitement over the criminally nostalgic stash of 90sness I've assembled for my 500 follower celebratory giveaway. I've put in what can only be described as an insane amount of effort into amassing some 90s goodies, and this level of personal time investment can't be reduced to just a link at the bottom of a post. I can only hope you all like the 90s gift basket I've assembled half as much as I do. If you don't, I'm a bit worried I might end up keeping it myself.

I love giveaways and I've thought a lot about doing one of my own, but the timing never seemed quite right. Until now, that is, when I had a day off brimming with spare time to search far and wide for the most memorable 90s items still available. It wasn't easy; most of the stuff we get all glassy-eyed about over here no longer graces the shelves at our favorite stores. The new versions of many of our favorite toys pale in comparison. And the ones that don't (I'm looking at you, awesome new Bop It) are out of my giveaway price range.

That said, I think you are going to get pretty pumped over the giveaway fruits of my 90s searching labors. I live right by one of the largest used bookstores in the country, so imagine my delight to find just how many awesome authentic items were available at my fingertips in like-new condition. Granted, it's hard to come by mint editions of these items, and I'm all about health and safety and not getting sued so I'm going to forego the discontinued foods route. Nope, what I've put together is a fun little cross section of 90s childhood, conveniently packaged and delivered to your doorstep. Assuming you win, that is.

This could be you! With better fashion color sense, though

Just to give you an idea of what I went through to bring you this superior childhood nostalgia-themed givewaway, imagine the reaction of a checkout employee when they see you bounding toward the register with the following items in tow. The Half-Price Books cashier was pretty cool, he looked to be maybe a few years older than me. He definitely gave me the single raised eyebrow (a talent I have yet to achieve) and asked, "So...are these for you?" I wish I was better at real-life self promotion, in which case I would have responded brightly, "No, they're for a super reader giveaway at my always-growing 90s themed website! Come check it out!" Instead I mumbled, "Um...no," and busied myself searching in my purse.

To the credit of my selections though, they definitely met the approval of my cashier. He waxed poetic about the virtues of Goosebumps and Choose Your Own Adventure books, calling them "kick-ass" and giving me a great in to tell him all about Children of the 90s. Luckily for all of you, I was too embarrassed from coming to the register with a heaping armload of 90s children's items, so that means a better chance of winning for all of you! I'm sure if I've been wearing one of our soon-to-exist Children of the 90s T-shirts, though, it would have made an easy and less embarrassing segue into explanation of my purchases. Keep an eye out here, because these shirts are coming. Soonish.

Here's how it works: to gain one entry into the Children of the 90s Nostalgia-Fest 2010 Giveaway, simply comment below and mention which of the items you'd be most excited about winning. Remember, they're all a package deal, but I'm curious to see how my choices go over. To gain a second entry into the giveaway, become a follower on Blogger and let me know in your comment. For a third, become a Facebook fan and drop a note in the comments. For the fourth and final available entry, let me know if you've tweeted or blogged about the giveaway. It just that easy!

One last thing: due to my meager paycheck-induced poverty, I have yet to replace my now-broken digital camera. I was able to find images of all of the items online, but none are the actual images of the items. I promise, though, they do exist, and they all look almost exactly like the photos Google images was sweet enough to round up for me. I think that's about it for the fine print. Without further ado, I present to you...(*drumroll*) the contents of the first ever Children of the 90s Nostalgia Fest giveaway! (*resounding applause*)

All this could be yours!

Disney Magic EyeMilk Moustache Mania

A book of many of the the popular milk mustache campaign ads with background information. What's not to love?

Goosebumps: My Hairiest Adventure

Help! I'm Trapped in My Teacher's Body

BSC Super Special #11: The Baby-Sitters Remember

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul

Magic Grow Capsules:

(Again, photo not of actual item....you get wildlife, not dinosaurs! Who doesn't love wildlife?)

Rainbow NerdsLisa Frank Sticker Dreams

This is a new pack, so we've got some updated designs here. They're on a roll so I can't see all of them, but I do see a painting panda bear. That one seems pretty promising. Anyway, in case there's no scale here...this pack is tiny. It includes 100 stickers, but they're all of the miniature variety.

And....la piece de resistance:THE ADVENTURES OF PETE AND PETE SEASON 1 on DVD!!

Don't forget to read the above rules to maximize your entries :) The giveaway will close Wednesday, February 17. Good luck! Comment below to indicate your entries.

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